New era dawns at Elise House: Formerly homeless couple pays it forward
An early 20th-century house with weathered shingles near Hyannis Harbor sparkles with life as six formerly homeless people settle in.
Last week, Mark Halstead and Mary Ann Hakenson signed a lease on the five-bedroom house. Living with the couple are Linda, Pat, Jane and Sue, formerly homeless women who built solid friendships through their participation in the Salvation Army's Overnights of Hospitality program. Each woman enjoys a private bedroom, and the six residents share rent, utilities and household expenses plus cooking and household chores.
"In just a week we went from the offer of start-up money from a wonderful benefactor named Elise to finding this house, signing the lease and moving in," Hakenson says. The home's burnished, wide-plank floors, updated kitchen, crisp white walls and sparkling new windows reflect the fresh start being made there.
The house offers all the amenities that these resourceful people enjoyed before happenstance left them homeless in Hyannis. There's a fully equipped laundry room, two full bathrooms, a back porch for enjoying morning chats and evening sunsets, a yard where tulips and daffodils will blossom come spring and a parking area to accommodate the steady flow of friends bringing furnishings.
Halstead and Hakenson started three months ago with no money and a donated computer. Elise House is a dream made possible by a generous woman and a collective vision.
"We did some research, and nobody has done this," Halstead said. "I am literally out to change people's perception of the homeless people on Cape Cod."
An Iowa native, Hakenson has an associate's degree in hospitality. Finding herself homeless after escaping an abusive relationship, she lived in the Hyannis camps until they were bulldozed. She later found her way into the Overnights of Hospitality program in which churches around Cape Cod offer shelter to the homeless. After landing a job as a waitress, she moved into Champ Homes.
A high-school valedictorian with degrees in business and computer science, Halstead's luck ran out several years ago while he was touring New England.
"Cape Cod was a day trip. When my car broke down in Hyannis, I worked for Labor Ready, trying to scrape enough together to get it fixed," he said. Without steady work, Halstead quickly ran out of money.
The two shared an instant connection when they met briefly the only night Hakenson spent at NOAH shelter. Halstead later helped her find the assistance she needed to work toward independence.
Halstead has a job at Cape Cod Potato Chips.
Since her layoff six weeks ago, Hakenson has devoted all her time to the couple's mission: helping others out of financial, emotional and psychological bankruptcy through their non-profit outreach, Homeless not Helpless, Inc.
Considering the Cape's high profile, Halstead and Hakenson believe their example could be the seed that sparks similar programs nationwide. "The homeless community has untapped resources," Halstead said. "We are who we are, and we want people to know us. By the most unlikely circumstances, Mary Ann and I ended up in Hyannis, homeless. My personal opinion is God wanted this and made it happen."
Building from the ground up
Three days after the others moved in, the lone remaining female participant in Overnights of Hospitality visited Elise House and asked if she could stay overnight. She left after breakfast the next morning, returning hours later with all her possessions.
Every bedroom is now filled.
"It's difficult for people suffering from mental illness to break away from a familiar, comfortable situation," Hakenson said. "She felt safe in the churches. But she knows everyone here loves her, and she made the decision to move in herself. That's huge, and we're thrilled she's here."
Halstead said the idea for Homeless not Helpless came from discussions he had with Alan Burt, longtime advocate for homeless people in Hyannis and coordinator of the Overnights of Hospitality program.
"We believe that homeless people need to advocate for themselves," Halstead said. "Mary Ann and I had decided to move to North Carolina, where the climate is better for Mary Ann's health - but with Alan's encouragement, we decided to stay here and make a difference. We really didn't want to leave the people who helped us, and we believe a non-profit organization run by those who are or have been homeless could start filling the holes in the system.
"If you're in a large amount of difficulty, your mindset's poor. If someone doesn't help and constantly support you, you're going to slip into the morass. Homelessness exacerbates the problems already existing in all areas of society. Life is difficult for diabetic people who have money. Think of how being homeless would affect them."
Mary Ann, busy preparing a pasta dinner, added, "Today is one week from the day we signed the lease, and we're full. Our 'wild card' just moved in as we sat here talking. We wanted a way to help others, and we now have the facility to do our work. The ladies living here with us are wonderful, easy-going and no trouble."
Three are receiving Supplementary Security Income benefits, and the fourth is job-hunting. Two are volunteers at the Salvation Army and one at the Cape Cod Hospital Thrift Shop. "We all spend time giving back to the community," Hakenson said.
"The system has done some good things, and the churches have been wonderful," Halstead said. "Our goal is to provide long-term transitional housing for up to a year. When each woman is happy, grounded and back on her feet, we'll help her transition into something of her own that she can afford."
As long as Hakenson's health holds, the couple will remain in Hyannis, paying forward the assistance others gave them when they needed it. "This house, these people, this opportunity, they're all such a tremendous blessing," Hakenson said.
Homeless not Helpless is comprised exclusively of those who have been homeless or who have extensively served within the homeless community. "We value everybody in our community according to his or her gift," Halstead said. "You have to have walked in or next to our shoes to understand us and our needs. Mary Ann and I have our hearts and souls in this, and we don't intend to disappoint anyone, including ourselves. I told Mary Ann the other night, for the first time in many years, my heart feels light."
Elise House can use your help
Homeless not Helpless appreciates the many donations that enabled them to move into their new home so quickly.
One of the rooms on the main floor of Elise House is reserved as an office. To fulfill the mission of providing a place for homeless people and those in transition to file for assistance, seek jobs and do other work essential for their independence, Homeless not Helpless seeks office furniture including a desk and chair, filing cabinet, bookcases and shelves.
Other items still needed include curtains and rods, bookcases and shelves, lamps, clock radios and a TV. Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by calling Mary Ann Hakenson at 508-957-2334.